Sophie Vaughn, a sixth-grader at Jefferson Middle School,
won second place in a national essay contest sponsored by the Elks USA.
Vaughn had to write an essay about what Veterans Day means to her. Essays were limited to 250
words and to students in fifth through eighth grades.
What Veterans Day Means to Me
By Sophie Vaughn
I was born in Vietnam and came to the U.S. when I was 4 years old. Because my American parents adopted me, I
became a citizen when I first planted my feet on U.S. soil. I know I’m lucky because in the U.S. we have
more freedoms than in most countries. We
have these because of veterans. They
risked their lives fighting for our country to protect these freedoms. As Americans, we can go wherever we want, get
a good education, live without a curfew, choose our own home, have freedom of
speech, wear whatever and choose our own careers.
When I meet a veteran, I stand a little taller because I
know they’re hard workers. Serving their
country, they had an important job to do and soldiers have to depend on each
other. It doesn’t matter if you look
different from the soldier standing next to you. It doesn’t matter if you have different
religions or skin color or if you’re wealthy or not. Veterans are all Americans fighting for the
same rights and freedoms.
If I had stayed in Vietnam, I wouldn’t have the choices I
have now. Veteran’s Day represents why I
have those opportunities and how veterans were willing to risk their lives so I
could live mine. I’m glad there’s a day
to say thanks because without it, I might forget to salute veterans and the
very positive impact they’ve had on my life.
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